to mean business
33
4.6
- idiom
- /miːn ˈbɪznɪs/
- Informal
:
ir en serio
- During the negotiation, she made it clear that she means business and is ready to walk away if her demands are not met.
When we are serious about something, when we mean business, we keep account.
- When we are serious about something, when we mean business, we keep account.
- Don't miss Friday's episode because we mean business.
- And I always say make sure your texts mean business.
- You want your texts to mean business and you want this to show her that you are decisive, right?
- It's really shiny and snazzy, and it just looks really like you mean business when you wear this bag, and it's very sophisticated.
- He knows when a woman means business.
- He he means business and his story and what happened with the rest of my platoon, I don't feel his mind to tell.
Examples
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Guess we'll have to show her that we mean business.
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Let the children know that you want them to have fun, but you also mean business.
Academic text (1997) -
When we are serious about something, when we mean business, we keep account.
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OK, so just like I say your text should mean business, your words should mean business as well.
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You let him know you mean business.
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Now, somebody out there means business.
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And he was going to prove to the world that he meant business.
Blog text (14) -
We're in for trouble because these fellas mean business.
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Let him know that you mean business, that nothing, and I mean nothing, will stop Whitaker & Associates from closing that deal.
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We mean business now, and we are determined to gain our rightful place in God's world.
Academic text (1994)
Antonyms
How Serious
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to be serious and determined' is directly derivable from combining 'mean' (to intend/be serious about) with 'business' (one's affairs or purpose): together they signal seriousness about one's matters. This compositional pattern is common and transparent enough that a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the idiomatic sense.
Etymology
The idiom mean business comes from the simple image of someone who really means their business — they treat a task as real work and are not joking. That's why it now means 'to be serious and determined'.